As a species our ascent has been rapid. Since we emerged blinking from the cave or dragged ourselves from the swamp Homo Sapiens has innovated, experimented and evolved at a dizzying rate. From stone tools to metalurgy and from the wheel to VR, our progress has ensured dominance over the lesser animals. As we enter an era of truly transformational change, an age when space travel is feasible, where virtual reality takes over from call centres, a future were death may not be inevitable but ironically taxes are, where does that leave humanity? Are we entering a new era of enlightenment or has our unfetterered progression opened a Pandora’s box? Festival of Politics is delighted to host two of the leading international speakers on the topic of technology and futurism. Join Zoltan Istvan & Gerd Leonhard as they debate the issue of humans versus machines under the watchful eye of Karlin Lillington. A humanitarian activist and former journalist for National Geographic, Istvan has been variously compared to a young Al Gore and Ayn Rand. Leonhard’s latest work ‘Technology vs. Humanity’, sounds a clarion regarding what is at stake as we enter a world run by soulless machines and intelligent algorithms.